New employees who work to fit in, gain the edge

Bangalore: New employees should be active about slotting into their new workplace, rather than relying on the organization's management to help them fit in. Co-owner of human resources consultancy group OPRA, Sarah Burke researched how newcomers could shape their socialising experience in the workplace, as part of her PhD at Victoria University. Employees who worked to fit in could be more competitive, and help their organisation get ahead, she found.

New employees who expected to be successful would integrate into their organisation faster and more effectively than those who didn't, but they could also be trained to be more proactive and self-starting, Sarah found. "Rather than passively waiting for opportunities or information, the proactive employee will gather information about their workgroup, tasks, and the organisation to help themselves succeed," she said.

Sarah tracked 526 graduates and seasoned employees from private and public sector organisations, looking at their work experience history, interest in a job, their personality and the relationship they had with their team and manager."Results indicate that all these factors had an impact on how well new employees slotted into an organisation, how well they performed and, ultimately, their commitment to stay," Sarah said.